Questions about using an old rig for HTPC.

antiv6

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Messages
297
Hey guys,

Been interested in making an el cheapo HTPC that I can play/store movies and Blu Rays on for awhile now.

Was wondering if this would be a decent system for basic HTPC and/or Server tasks:
- Win 7 64-bit professional.
- Intel C2D e6420 @ stock speeds, so far.
- ABIT QuadGT Mobo P965.
- Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme.
- 1 or 2 TB Samsung SpinPoint F4 Eco(Probably another 200 gig ATA HDD for extra room, why not).
- AMD 5450(Or 6450) GPU.
- 4 Gigs DDR2-PC6400.
- Corsair CX430 PSU.
- Some random BR player, probably don't need a burner.
- Antec Sonata III Proto case.

This rig wont play games at all, and will pretty much just hold movies/music/pics/files for 1080p playback and streaming if possible. Can't see owning a 3D tv in the near future, either.

Or, would it be worth it moreso to build a cheap i3/AMD and skip the GPU? What is a ballpark cost for electricity anyways? Just curious.
 
What he said.

A 5450 is a little too gimpy for 1080p. I replaced mine because of it.
 
The ball park cost for electricity is around 11c/kwh at least in my neck of the woods... check out this cool website to calculate you costs : http://www.electricity-usage.com/El...mputer&Watts=90&CostPerKWH=0.11&HoursPerDay=4

Also if you are really only watching 1080p and not really using Netflix HD, (atleast until silverlight 5 comes out of beta) I would suggest maybe an AMD zacate board with a built in 6310 ($89 to $130) maybe a 2gb stick of ddr3 and your good to go if you are worried about power consumption. Otherwise you should be golden with the 6450.
 
Cool guys, thanks for the replies.

I will most likely just add in a 6450, the cost per month for my city(0.08 kwh, last I checked) costs $5-10 a month depending on usage. That is not bad at all.

I would use Netflix if it was worthwhile. hmm
 
What he said.

A 5450 is a little too gimpy for 1080p. I replaced mine because of it.

Hmm.....I just built a HTPC from old parts and decided to try an ASUS Radeon HD5450 for full 1080p playback, though I don't really need it as I have standalone BD players. But I do want to stream 1080p (ripped stuff) so I felt like the ability to play full 1080 is important.

I completed the build last night and have been testing it all day. Mine plays blu-rays just fine. I've tested several at this point. Is there some absolute gold standard blu-ray that serves as a best test case?
 
The 5450 should handle most if not all content. The 6450 will let you use all of the post processing features though.
 
The 5450 should handle most if not all content. The 6450 will let you use all of the post processing features though.

What are the post processing features? I'm wanting to know if I might be interested in those. Thanks.
 
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